San Domenico Altarpiece (Fiesole)

This altarpiece can be found in the Convent of San Domenico, Fiesole which lies just outside Florence and was originally completed by Fra Angelico before later amendments by Lorenzo di Credi.

Fra Angelico worked on this complex piece from 1424–1425 and it remained untouched until 1501. Lorenzo di Credi was then tasked with the request to update the entire background of this scene, leaving Fra Angelico's figures in the foreground as they were previously. Di Credi chose to modernise elements of the background, using a more up to date style of architecture for a throne with baldachin. The gradiented blue sky which sits behind this construction remained plain.

The artist Fra Angelico had made use of a gothic style of some elements of the background and so it was deemed necessary by the convent that this be modernised, with the changes coming around 75 years after the initial work had been done. Whilst the makeup of this painting is in line with many artworks from this period there are certainly a handful of paintings from other artists whose composition is distinctly similar to that used here. For example, Masaccio's San Giovenale Triptych from 1422 and also some preparatory drawings by Lorenzo Ghiberti gave a single stage for all of the figures of the scene rather than separating them into multiple compartments.

The National Gallery in London holds a the predella to this altarpiece that is no-longer attached. This format is a strip of several different smaller artworks which are placed alongside the main central piece of the altarpiece. You will find these items handled separately within this website, with this section focusing purely on the main panel which remains in the Convent of San Domenico, Fiesole.